PERSONAL TOUCH…BIG LAW EXPERIENCE
REAL | RELIABLE | CREATIVE | PRACTICAL
PHILLIPS GOLDEN LLP is an Austin, Texas based law firm, specializing in tax and commercial real estate law with an emphasis on the provision of comprehensive legal services for business transactions. Each of the firm’s partners is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in their respective areas: Stephen L. (Steve) Phillips in Tax Law and Joshua W. (Josh) Golden in Commercial Real Estate Law.
Comprised of a strategic complementary blend of specialists in federal, state and local tax and commercial real estate law with large corporate and law firm experience, PGLLP is well positioned to assist real estate and other entrepreneurs investors, as well as business owners (large and small) achieve their business and investment goals and objectives. In addition to the firm’s specialization in tax and commercial real estate law, each of the firm’s partners have broad experience providing transactional business services with regard to start-up, funding, tax and entity structuring, mergers & acquisitions, and other diverse and complex business transactions.
PGLLP is a Texas firm (and extremely proud of that fact), but their client base extends beyond the boundaries of the great State of Texas. While strictly adhering to professional and ethical standards, they often represent clients in matters in other jurisdictions at both the state and national level.
OUR PRACTICE
As a seasoned and recognized expert in federal, state and local tax law, Senior Partner Steve Phillips regularly advises clients in domestic and international tax matters. He is often called upon and/or referred by other lawyers, law firms, accountants, financial advisors, and tax professionals to serve as lead or special counsel on sophisticated tax matters which may be beyond their comfort zone or simply involve “bet-the-farm” consequences and opportunities.
The firm’s real estate practice, spearheaded by Managing Partner Josh Golden, encompasses “cradle to grave” legal representation covering all aspects and phases of commercial real estate transactions for retail, office, industrial, and telecommunications industries in Texas and throughout the United States.
Whether a client’s needs are limited to a particular phase or the entire life cycle of a real estate related project, we routinely assist our clients with matters related to the acquisition or disposition of vacant and improved properties; industrial, retail, office, mixed-use, single and multi-family residential development; title, survey and related due diligence review; acquisition and capital financings; leasing; and ongoing property management and operations. In addition to traditional methods, we also provide guidance and counsel to landowners and real estate developers alike in connection with a variety of alternative development and financing strategies, including long-term ground leases and build to suit arrangements.
In addition to his general expertise in commercial real estate law, Mr. Golden also has extensive experience representing both developers and local governments in connection with negotiating and drafting documentation for financing of public infrastructure through various utility districts, public improvement districts and public-private partnerships through so-called “Chapter 380 Agreements.” Through his dual exposure as counsel to clients in each of the public and private sectors, Mr. Golden brings to the table knowledge and perspective rarely found among real estate lawyers.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
Perhaps more comfortably than many in the tax consulting realm, PGLLP can triage, diagnose, and react to important tax and legal issues apt to arise in the context of multi-disciplinary legal problems and opportunities. They help individuals and companies navigate mission critical investment and business endeavors from start up, to mid-stream events, and on to exit and reinvestment strategies.
Simply stated, PGLLP excels at identifying issues before they derail opportunities. In instances where their clients are caught unaware and need reactive assistance, they negotiate vigorously and zealously on their clients’ behalf to achieve a satisfactory solution OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM. Unfortunately, in spite of PGLLP’S best efforts, the stubbornness, misguided principle, or outright ignorance of the law sometimes prevails and prevents a negotiated outcome. Should legal action be necessary, the firm selectively teams with or refers matters to their deep and extensive network of preeminent civil litigators and trial attorneys.
PERSONAL SERVICES
Although we predominantly represent businesses, we can and often do counsel individuals with regard to a variety of personal legal matters, including wealth preservation and estate planning. Collectively, we offer expertise and quality personal service specifically tailored to address almost any individual, investment, or major personal life event issue requiring transactional, financial and tax legal assistance.
EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY
We are a modern law firm. In a digital age where accuracy, efficiency, and access to your attorneys translates to real dollars, we place a premium on affording direct and personal access to the seasoned attorneys working on your case. This helps ensure that we provide our clients with the highest quality work product in all we do. We reject incomplete and shoddy worksmanship. We are not the “cheapest” attorneys around — our clients choose us because we will get the job done right. We are, however, able to provide big law service through significant investment of time, money, and resources in the latest “state-of-the-art” technologies to reduce and, in some cases, even eliminate many of the overhead costs inherent in larger, more traditional law firms. As a result, we are pliable and adapt to our clients’ individual needs. In simple terms, we provide and maintain responsive service while at the same time passing along our overhead savings to our clients.
We do not blindly adhere to costly, inefficient technologies and arcane methodologies practiced by “Big Law” firms. Instead, we challenge prevailing thoughts and viewpoints to achieve practical and creative solutions to the legal issues our clients face using the right tools for the job.
“REAL” BUSINESS PEOPLE
We formed PHILLIPS GOLDEN LLP to provide thorough, responsive, and first-class hands-on legal representation without pretense. For all of the seriousness our job requires, we enjoy what we do and have fun doing it (well, most of the time, anyway). Although we are comprised of attorneys with separate and distinct (though complementary) backgrounds, we share in the common notion that a collaborative and constructive work environment, not only among ourselves but with our clients, is the best way to achieve the desired result for our clients.
We strongly believe that team-based collaboration among our clients, colleagues, fellow professionals, and legal and business counterparts is the surest and best way to achieve the common goal of transacting business.
We are conscientious and real. With us, what you see is what you get. But above all else, we are tough and honest business people who just happen to be lawyers.